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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

For all of you who have been patiently waiting for me to reveal (admit?) the brand of my new piano, this is the thread.

For those who insisted they already know what it is, and couldn't resist telling everyone, shame on you for trying to ruin our fun. For those who claimed to know (and the few who actually did) and chose to go along with the game, thank you for playing along.

For those who were reasonably sure they guessed right, the answer will be revealed shortly in this thread.

And finally, for those who have no clue what I'm talking about, I've been stringing people along (pun intended) for quite some time now. Mostly because the game was fun, but also partly because I just didn't have the time to put this together correctly. Now Kathy and I are making the time.

I will start with pictures of my piano in its new home in my music room. I will then backtrack and share with you pictures and details of my adventure selecting the piano.

Here she is sitting at the far end of my music room...

A full length shot viewed from tail to front

A long side view (before I moved it around)...

Shot at night, Kirby the Wonder Dog Guards the New Piano...

And now for the shot you've all been asking for (and yes, those are my hands)...............................................................

And a View Under the Hood showing the signatures of Dr. Indrek Laul, his Dad Venno, and the head of piano production at Laul Estonia Pianos in Tallinn, Estonia (story to follow)

And now for the story behind the story (or as Paul Harvery used to say "And now for the rest of the story").

It all began at the NAMM show in Anaheim (Jan. 2011). I was making my usual rounds saying hello to friends old and new, and playing pianos whenever I got the chance.

We (Kathy and I) had stopped by the Estonia Piano booth, which as everyone who attends NAMM knows not only contains lovely pianos, but also the most comfortable chairs in the show:-)

I sat down and played one of the Estonia pianos for a while. When I stopped Indrek (Dr. Indrek Laul, owner of Estonia Piano company) came by to chat. He complimented me on my playing, I mentioned that it was somewhat of a challenge for me to play a real grand as I only have a digital piano at home.

He couldn't believe "Mr. PianoWorld" didn't have a real (acoustic) piano at home. He said that just didn't seem right, I agreed. We talked more about it and how we might fix the problem. Bottom line, we came to an agreement that worked for both of us, and meant I'd finally get to have a real piano in my home.

Here we are enjoying the Estonia Booth comfortable chairs...

On top of that, Indrek knew we were planning a European Piano Tour with a group of forums members for June 2011, so he invited us to visit the Estonia piano factory in Tallinn before starting our tour.

Kathy and I accepted, and my sister and her husband agreed to meet us over there (they were joining us on the tour as well).

And so the adventure begins.

On May 31 Kathy and I boarded a plane in Miami, 22 hours 3 plane changes, and 4 airports later we landed in Tallinn, Estonia. My sister Barbara and her husband Larry left a day earlier because they fly standby, and beat us to the hotel in Estonia (but not by much).

Indrek picked Kathy and I up at the airport and took us to our hotel, pointing out some of the sights as we drove.

Thursday June 2 we made our first visit to the Estonia Piano Factory where they had 3 pianos all ready for me to try.

Arriving at the Estonia Piano Factory (that's Indrek's Dad Venno waving. Venno by the way is a famous choir conductor and instrumental in getting a beautiful music school constructed in Tallinn)

While we were in Tallinn, Estonia we toured the area courtesy of Indrek and his Dad.

They were very gracious hosts, and obviously quite proud of their country and their city. Thanks to their connections we got to see some behind the scenes sights, experience wonderful live music performances, and tour the old city with a private guide (Indrek's cousin, a professional guide and interpreter) who did an amazing job.

I'm posting a few pictures below, I'll try to follow up with more pictures and stories of our visit to Estonia soon.I can tell you all four of us would go back in a heartbeat if we could.

Part of the huge wall and fortification surrounding the hill overlooking old Tallinn. Built in medieval times (as was much of the old city).

Old Town Tallinn

Additional pictures of Tallinn and Estonia Piano later.I will also post some videos of me playing the new piano.

Congratulations on your wonderful new grand. Imagine, an Estonia. I would never have guessed......Great pictures from the factory and Tallinn, I never got to see it in sunshine, but even in the pouring rain, it was delightful. May you enjoy your fine instrument for many, many years to come.

_________________________
Some men are music lovers. Others make love without it.

Congratulations, Frank! The reveal was worth the wait. Your photos were lovely. It makes me wish I could visit Estonia some day.

If you have the chance, I'd love to hear more about how you decided among the three possibilities. Were they very similar and it was basically a matter of very slight preferences? Or did you perceive a bigger difference that made it easier to choose?

Congrats, Frank. As a very happy Estonia owner I know you will love your new instrument. I also went straight from a digital to the Estonia and can assure you after a month you won't believe how different it feels. Enjoy.

(oh, and I think I guessed right - er... well, at least one of my guesses :grin )

Edit to add that I too would enjoy hearing about choosing among the three. I spent almost all day at Cunningham going back and forth between two L190's and still couldn't decide which I liked better even though they were clearly different. Three would have driven me mad!

Congrats on your new piano - it is a beauty for sure! May you have many happy years of making music together!!!

And thanks for the pics - It was fun to see the various stages of piano building, and to see shots of Tallinn, what a beautiful town.

p.s....I too am curious to hear the story behind choosing 1 out of the three!

_________________________XVIII-XXXVIIFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90